


Simon Snow and the Cauldron of Amortentia

by ScrimmageGirl



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst and Humor, Enemies to Lovers, Final Year, First Kiss, Getting Together, Lots of dialogue, M/M, Mutual Pining, Wizards, lots of inner angst and emotional constipation, switching POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 8,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrimmageGirl/pseuds/ScrimmageGirl
Summary: It's Baz and Simon's final year at Hogwarts and they’re stuck in detention together. Shall angst and eventual getting together ensue?Spoilers: Yeah.





	1. SIMON

I sit alone in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Penny isn’t here yet, so I have no one to sit with. Plenty of my friends have stopped by, but if I sat with them then Penny wouldn’t come (because she generally dislikes people). I grin, my face pressed against the glass. I can see families and kids rushing around on Platform 9¾. Back-to-school makes me happy, it's always great to be around people again after spending my summers alone in various children's homes. Suddenly I jerk my head away from the window. Baz is striding along the platform, his Head Boy badge glinting on his robes. He's already wearing his school uniform, the tosser. Of course he made Head Boy, and of course he’s still here. Every year I hope he won’t come back, but he always does. I sink lower in my seat as he steps onto the train, hoping he didn’t see me. I hear him coming down the hall and turn away, looking out the window again.

“Snow.”

Well shit. He’s seen me. I jut my chin forward, struggling off the seat to stand up. I face him as he stands in the doorway. 

“You seem smaller than I remember Snow. Were you hiding from me?” he sneers. 

I already have my wand in my hand. Might as well put it to good use.


	2. BAZ

I have to step back to avoid losing my nose as Simon magically slams the compartment door shut. I flash him two middle fingers. He turns his back to me, sparks shooting out of his wand. It seems my very existence is enough to anger him. Good. Maybe that will keep him mostly away from me. 

Or as far away as one can get when you live in the same dormitory. Being in the same House as the person you’re horrifically, annoyingly, and irreparably in love with is about as pleasant as standing in the middle of a blazing house fire. There's flames in your lungs, and licking at your skin, and blazing in front of your eyes, there’s no escape, and the fire keeps following you. Sometimes literally. Simon is a bit of a suspicious stalker. Fifth year I deluded myself into thinking he was following me because he was just as obsessed with me as I was with him. But then I walked into an abandoned corridor while he was snogging Ms Vanilla Pudding (Agatha), and that theory went out the window. Again, literally. I hexed him out onto the lawns. We dueled, ending with him blasting half my arm off (Mrs Pomfrey fixed it) and he kept yelling that he knew this was what I was planning. 

Actually what I was planning was to catch him alone after class and snog him into oblivion, but Stupefying him into the Whomping Willow was  _ almost  _ as satisfying. He ignored me all of last year, so even the withering eye contact he gave me just now was a strange kind of relief. I turn, trying to shake his face out of my head, moving towards the front of the train to begin my Head Boy duties, and pass Penelope Bunce heading towards Simon's cabin. She wrinkles her nose at me. 

“Basilton. Seems you didn’t turn into a rat over the summer, so all my non-verbal Transfiguration was for naught.” 

“Maybe you aren’t as proficient as you thought you were Bunce.” I say, sneering at her. She raises an eyebrow. Maybe I shouldn’t have provoked her. I don’t even see her move, and her arms are crossed so there's no way she used her wand, but suddenly by Head Boy badge falls to the floor. It’s now a potato. Damn. If Simon didn’t have a hold of her I would love to have her as an ally, she's effing powerful. Flicking her long purple braid, she squeezes past me to Simons compartment. When he sees her, his face lights up in an infuriatingly adorable smile. If Simon ever looked at me like that I think I would combust. 

But with me and him, it's never smiles. Its growls and sneers and smirks and narrowed eyes and clenched fists. It's hard lines and fire and hatred. It makes me miserable. 


	3. SIMON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Simon and Penny because they're both so socially inept it's fun when they talk emotions with each other.

Penny is here. She’s chatting about her summer, her boyfriend, new spells she learned, new books she’s read. I’m content just to listen as she talks. Her happiness is infectious, and soon I’m grinning and chatting too. This might be the most I’ve spoken in months. Sometimes I feel like Penny is the only one who is interested in what I have to say, no matter how long it takes me to say it. I’ve never been good at communication.

That might be why things between Agatha and me are weird. We never  _ really  _ talked. It was always just stolen glances in class, until it was flirting and shy smiles, and then it was Penny talking, and us holding hands under the table. Then it was just snogging and cuddling. And now its silence. I can tell Penny is trying to get me to talk about it, but eventually she gives up on subtlety (she has no patience for it) and cuts right to the chase.

“So. You and Agatha broken up yet?”

“What? No, of course not!”

“Why?”

“Uh, because I still like her!?”

“Hmm. Last year you said you loved her.” Penny accuses, using her wand to poke my nose. I swat it away, worried she’ll vanish me by accident. 

“I did! I mean, I do. I love her. That's what I meant to say.” 

“Simon, come on. This relationship is doomed.”

“That's not for you to say.”

“Well I’m saying it. I’m your best friend, it's my job.”

“We’re fine Penny.”

“Did she even contact you over the summer?”

“That’s… that’s not important. She was busy.”

“Well Micah and me talked. A lot.” She says this with an involuntary smile, so I poke her nose in return.

“What does that mean?” I pry. Her cheeks darken and she presses her palms to her face to hide the flush. When Micah is involved it's the only time I see Penny flustered. She’s usually calm and cool under pressure, which is good because we are almost constantly finding ourselves in trouble. But maybe this year will be different. 


	4. PENNY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so fun fact, this story is already written.   
I start some plot things here that do not fully get explored and I personally think that's fun and mysterious but if you find it frustrating I am so sorry.   
Anyways here's some Penny POV which is tragically underutilized always. She deserves a book to herself.

It’s only night one and things are already settling in to the same old routine. When Simon and I entered the Great Hall Simon sat right at the front of the Slytherin table, and I sat at Ravenclaw. We sit about as near to the teachers table (and to one another) as is possible in the Hall. This is because in order to properly solidify their idiotic rivalry, Baz and Simon insist on sitting comically far apart from each other wherever they go. Baz sits at the exact opposite end of the Slytherin table, already radiating antagonistic energy and scaring the children. He was made Head Boy for a reason - no one would dare disobey him. Agatha on the other hand is the exact opposite. I think McGonagall wanted someone softer and kinder. A kind of yin yang situation for Head Boy and Girl. I scanned the Hall for Agatha when we sat down, but the Gryffindoors sit closest to the far wall so she had an excuse to keep her back turned towards us the entire meal. 

On our way to our dormitories a Lethifold tried to attack Simon, but we were able to beat it back with our Patronuses. Not everyone, even in the seventh year, can cast a Patronus. It’s incredibly advanced magic. Most people were surprised Simon could do it. It’s not that he’s dumb (well, he is, but not in a magical sense), it’s just that Simon always had a way with magic that required feelings. Words are not his strong suit though.

When the Lethifold came towards us, younger kids screamed and ran, but Simon and I stood our ground (we’ve dealt with these before.) I pulled up a memory of a family picnic this summer. Micah and Simon had come along too, and all of us sat together on the beach. It was all the people in the world I loved (which wasn’t very many, but that doesn’t bother me), so the memory worked perfectly. Simon once told me he doesn’t even have a specific thought he uses, he just pulls up a happy feeling. I don’t understand how that works, but I don’t understand a lot of how Simon works. Our Patronuses work well together though, his Phoenix and my cat shouldn’t be able to cooperate but they do. It’s kind of like us. The Lethifold shrivelled under our combined magic and we continued to our respective dormitories. 

We’re used to it by now. No one knows exactly why magic, magical creatures, and phenomena are so attracted to Simon. McGonagall theorizes it's because he was born on the same day that Voldemort (and Harry Potter) died. During the Battle of Hogwarts concentrated magic was released and spread all over the world. Apparently there are 5 or 6 other wizards and witches like Simon around the world who were born during the upheaval of the magical balance. It used to be a big deal, but now Simon can hex and incoming Pixie from over his shoulder without batting an eye. 

I still worry about him though. Everything is normal now, but it’s our last year at Hogwarts, so things are bound to change soon. I climb the stairs to the Ravenclaw quarters, lost in thought. Simon is juggling his petty rivalry with Baz, classes, a crumbling relationship with Agatha, and general magical mayhem. I hope soon everything can fall into place.

It’s not like I have my life together either. I do have a proficiency for healing magic, and I’ve been helping Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing for the past 3 years, so I have my career plan all set. I know I will work at a magical hospital, the only question is whether I stay here at St Mungos in England or move to America to be with Micah. I would do it in an instant if it weren't for Simon. I don’t want him to be alone. 


	5. BAZ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo for mediocre plot building and angst!   
Bare with me here folks the fluff is coming.

Simon is being an idiot. Of course. A shirtless idiot. He’s standing in the middle of our dormitory with 17 Flaming Pepper Imps in his mouth, his shirt discarded as (patented-no-heat) flames flicker over his shoulders. The other boys in our dormitory are cheering him on, but I can’t stand it. 

Simon is fit. He’s got broad shoulders and muscled arms from being a Beater. I’m the Slytherin Seeker, so technically his job is to protect me, but on more than one occasion he’s sent a Bludger my way. Now I know how he can be so accurate - his chest has actual muscles (which I thought was just something you see in magazines), perfect for brute force and aggression. My head is swimming, so I back out of the dormitory to sit in the common room, trying (in vain I’m sure) to stop thinking about him. 

That’s getting harder and harder recently, and it’s making me mad. Just as I’m crafting a mental picture wherein Simon burns to a crisp, he flops down on the couch across from me, once again fully dressed. I can’t tell if I’m relieved or disappointed. I sneer, giving him an ambivalent, but still unfriendly, greeting. He rolls his eyes in return.

“Are you sick Baz?”

“What?”

“Well you haven’t insulted me since the train, and you look - pale, well, paler than usual. Penny says that GillyFlu is going around so - uh - I was wondering if I should tell her to get you some potion.”

“Snow, I don’t believe this. Are you concerned for my well-being?” I taunt, but I am actually pretty confused. He clenches his fists on his knees.

“No. I just-I don’t want you getting the whole House sick. It’s very contagious - Penny said. Plus we have our first Quidditch game in a week - and we need - and you need to be there.”

“I’m fine Snow.” Crowley, it takes him 2 weeks to finish a sentence. I swallow my growing annoyance in favour of focusing on the single curl of brown hair over his right eyebrow. 

He snaps his fingers in front of my face.

“Baz!”

“ _ What? _ ” 

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You Snow. Your presence in my life makes it not worth living.”

“Shut up Baz.”

“Happily.” I summon a book from our dormitory. It hits Simon in the head on its way to my hands. I open it to a random page as he growls in frustration. Smirking I hold it in front of my face to effectively end the conversation. As he storms back to the dormitory he uses Nox to turn off the lights in the common room, plunging me into darkness. I just let it happen, closing my eyes and falling asleep right there on the couch. 

I wake up to Haider Poduch shaking me. Haider is my only friend at Hogwarts, or more accurately, he’s the only Slytherin I can stand. My parents would probably disown me if I hung out with anyone who wasn’t in Slytherin. Even after the last Wizarding War certain families held onto the old pureblood ways. If they found out I was in love with a muggle born… 

It’s not like my parents worked for Voldemort. They despised him actually, because he relied on fear to rule. Families like ours date back even further than the Blacks, but get half the recognition because we get our power through the means of money, trading, stocks, and international connections instead of governmental control. My parents are nice enough, but there are certain expectations upon me, and unfortunately those don’t include falling for Simon. 

Haider and I eat breakfast quickly in our usual spot by the doors to the Great Hall. There’s no one there yet except us and Simon and Penny, but I still sit as far away from him as I can. It’s a defense mechanism. I remember our 2nd year I was frustrated at how the people between us kept me from being able to see him, but by 5th year I was relieved to have an excuse for his face not to be in my sight. 

Whenever I see Simon my brain does this funny thing where I keep imagining kissing him, but instead I end up shouting he’s stupid while I hex his ears off. Apparently I am not good at dealing with emotions. But it’s hard when the person you want most is the person who hates you. Simon would never let me get two words out, let alone be on anything but unfriendly terms. I suppose I started it, when I teased him our first year, but I still loathe the tension between us, I loathe the fact that whenever we come face-to-face people back away (because they just know something is going to happen). And maybe that's why something does happen, because it’s expected. Because we’re playing the roles of two people who can’t help but fight. Or, at least, I’m playing a role. For Simon hating me is in his blood. 

After we finish eating Haider and I walked down to the Quidditch Pitch for our first practice of the season. Haider’s our Captain, and he’s determined that we will win the Hogwarts tournament again this year. Between Simon, Haider and me we make a pretty unstoppable team. I kick off from the ground and my stomach drops. Crowley. The only time I truly feel free from all the bullshit in my life is when I’m flying. It’s not like I have a truly bad life. My parents like me (more or less), I do well in school, I have money. I’m just also harbouring a soul-consuming love for my mortal enemy who just also happens to live in my room and go to all my classes. But when I’m flying, I can outrace all of that. It’s just me and the wind. And Simon. 


	6. SIMON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 Points to anyone who can catch my not-so-subtle Pitch on the pitch pun.

I fly a few laps, following Baz, until he pulls to a halt in midair and turns towards me. 

“For Merlin's sake, what is it Snow?” 

I shrug, steadying myself on my broom. I do a spin in the air, mainly to buy myself some time, because I don’t actually know why I thought it was so important to follow him. He’s been so off lately, I get the feeling he’s up to something, and I feel responsible to stop him. Hogwarts is my home, it’s the only place I feel truly myself, and I have never let any magical creature (or person) take that away from me. And I won’t let him. 

“Nothing. I’m just practicing for the first game on Sunday.”

“Shove a sock in it Snow. You’re following me.”

“Just to keep an eye on you.”

“What for?” He snarls. I shrug again, feeling my confidence ebbing. I don’t exactly know where I’m going with any of this, so I just turn my broomstick around and shoot off down the pitch. 

Talking to Baz always makes my head spin. I forget what I’m saying, I stumble on my words, and the whole time he just sneers at me. I always see him through a haze of red, and I can’t control myself from hexing him or cursing him. I hate how unraveled I become. But he hates me so much that I can’t help the rising anger. He’s been avoiding me more lately, which provides relief from the constant hate, but is also confusing. Nothing has ever been simple for me, but my rivalry with Baz has been constant. And now he’s avoiding my eyes and won’t make the first move to curse me (which he always does. Baz always acts first) and it doesn’t make any sense. 


	7. PENNY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y'all tell Agatha isn't my favourite?   
Sorry 
> 
> Anyways enjoy this Quidditch interlude.

I sit on the bleachers and watch Simon and Baz tear around the pitch in different directions on their brooms, Haider futilely trying to get them to participate in drills with the rest of the team. Simon and Baz have always worked this way. They revolve in different directions but always together. In their own Universe. I asked Simon once what he thought Hogwarts would have been like without Baz and he couldn’t answer me. Something about Baz is what holds Simon together. It’s like their hatred is the only thing that binds them, but bound they are. 

A week later I’m sitting in the same position, holding a cup of steaming tea in my hands as students trickle into the Quidditch bleachers around me. Agatha is beside me sipping on her own tea, but she doesn’t say much. We chat about our summers, and I gush a little bit to her about Micah, but I can tell it just makes her sad so I back off. Agatha and I have always only been sorta friends. I think she only sits with me because she feels sorry for me (which sucks because I would much rather be alone). She has a million options of people to sit with, but I suppose she knows I won’t talk to her. Sitting together gives us each an excuse to do nothing but sip our tea. And in the case of Agatha, oggle Baz. I roll my eyes as she cranes forward to watch him warm up. Honestly why don’t she and Simon break up already?

The game starts, and Simon is a blur. I don’t care much for sports, but even I shout myself hoarse when Simon knocks two Hufflepuff Catchers off their brooms with one well-aimed Bludger. Baz is doing well too, he and the opposing Seeker have had a few breakaways for the Snitch, but each time Baz would intercept, leaving them both spiraling in different directions and letting the Snitch get away. I know Baz could have made the catch each of those times (I’ve seen him do more in the rain with his eyes swollen shut) so he must be purposefully stalling. Even now, as he circles above us, I see his eyes tracking something I can’t see. He obviously has eyes on the Snitch but isn't going for it. I figure it’s because the more we win by now, the more comfortably the margins will be later on in the tournament. That way the other teams shouldn’t be able to win like Potter + Gryfindoor did without even playing the winning team. Hogwarts does scoring weird. 

Haider makes a few spectacular goals, along with our other Chasers (I don’t care enough to learn their names, they’re fourth years), and soon we’re 70 points in the lead. 

Haider signals to Baz, and he darts downwards, quickly followed by the Hufflepuff Seeker. They’re soon followed as well by the Hufflepuff beaters, eager to knock Baz off track. Simon, above them, catches sight of a Bludger heading towards them, and he does something so stupid only Simon would think of doing it. He drops his beaters bat and catches the Bludger with his hands, letting the momentum of the ball send him crashing into the brooms of the Beaters. He takes them both out at once, and the crowd goes mental, cheering even louder when Baz grabs hold of the Snitch the moment after. Unfortunately Simon’s forgotten bat hits Baz’s broom as it goes down and it snaps cleanly in two, throwing Baz to the ground. He gets up, angrily spitting dirt, and yells in frustration. As the scoreboard announces Slytherin’s victory, Haider tries in vain to stop Baz, but he pushes past him and blasts the dirt in front of Simon in an explosion of dust. Simon yells something, but the roar of the crowd is too loud to hear it. He turns on his heel and storms off towards the castle, Baz following, hurling insults and spells past his head. The students around me eagerly follow them, probably hoping for a good show. Agatha sighs deeply beside me and finishes her tea, closing her eyes in resignment. 

I relent, and follow the crowd up to the castle. Maybe whatever it is, I can stop it. 


	8. SIMON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to honour our lord and saviour Rainbow with a list, even if it's short.

Baz keeps following me, even after I send hexes over my shoulders towards him. There are students and teachers yelling, but I can’t register anything they’re saying. I only hear Baz. He snarls insult after insult, calling me stupid and reckless and a bunch of other things that boil my blood and clench my fists. There’s pixies swirling around my feet, so I kick them away as I stride towards Hogwarts. I hear the crowd behind me panicking as the pixies swarm them (unless you have good aim they’re very hard to deal with) I hope they will keep Baz away too, but he casts a single Immobulous and is still hot on my heels. Finally, when I’m at the top of the entrance staircase, I turn around to find him right in my face. I push him away. There’s a beat of silence. We’ve never really been this close to each other. We always stay as far apart as possible. In classes we sit on opposite sides of the room, in hallways we walk at different walls, in our dormitory, we dance around each other constantly, never looking, never getting close. I don’t remember if I have ever actually touched him with anything besides magic. I’ve broken that barrier now, and he takes advantage of it, shoving me back with enough force that I topple down the stairs. I think a few things as I’m falling. 

  1. Ouch. 
  2. Can I Stupefy him from here?
  3. Yeah, I can. 
  4. Ouch. 


	9. AGATHA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't write Agatha's pov much because she bugs me a bit, but just assume she's going through the same emotional journey as in the book.

It takes approximately 57 seconds to break up with Simon. Sure, maybe I shouldn’t have done it while he was laid up in the hospital wing, but honestly at this point I’m past the point of caring. It seems like Simon sees it coming. He asks if Penny sent me, and then he cries, and then I turn away. I feel relieved, which makes me feel guilty, but then Baz winks at me as I leave and I smile back, sending my emotions back into a confusing jumble. I turn back to look, and Simon is glaring at Baz with more emotion than I have ever seen in his eyes. I think it’s anger. Without looking at me a bat-bogey hex hits the archway above my head, showering ruble and magic on my hair. Madame Pomfrey emerges like a lightning bolt from her chambers and begins scolding Simon, fussing about his arms and chastising Baz for sitting up. I brush the dirt from my hair and run away. I know I should be upset, but at this moment, I just feel free. 


	10. BAZ

“Detention. Both of you.” Professor Bunce scolds. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Beside me, Simon is staring intently at the floor. He still has soot on his nose from a Fire Anomaly incident. Sometimes when Simon opens doors in Hogwarts old spells will rush out, magic that has been stagnant for decades is drawn to him. It seems like everything is drawn to him, especially trouble. And me. 

“I’m so sorry Professor Bunce.” Simon says, still counting the specks of dust on his shoe. Professor Bunce doesn’t correct him to use her first name like usual, and I can tell it makes Simon even more upset. He hates when Professor Bunce disciplines him. It must be hard to get yelled at by your best friends mom (not that I would know). 

“Sorry is not going to cut it. You have both disrespected the rules of Hogwarts, embarrassed yourselves, and disgraced Slytherin house. I do feel as though your injuries from this incident are punishment themselves, but as Madame Pomfrey has healed you I think it’s only fair that I give you a little more time to consider what you’ve done.” This time I do roll my eyes. 

“You will both report to the Potions Dungeon for the next 3 Saturdays, starting tonight at 7 o’clock. You will monitor potions, clean cauldrons, and prepare ingredients. I don’t have the time to supervise you so I will leave a list of instructions on the blackboard. If they aren’t completed you can bet your brooms it will be 10 weeks instead of 3.”

“I can’t bet my broom Professor, Snow broke it.” I sneer, because I seemingly have no control, and Professor Bunce expects us to quarrel. 

“Well I’m sure Mommy and Daddy have already bought you another one Baz.”

“ _ Enough! _ ” The Professor snaps. “This is exactly why I am putting you in detention together. If you can’t learn to get along- nay- even tolerate each other, for Merlin’s sake, I will have to seriously consider pulling one of you from the Quidditch team. I don’t want to hurt my House prospects, but I more deeply cannot stand for this idiotic rivalry any more.”

Her tone is steely, so I nod. Snow does too. 

Fan-fucking-tastic. 


	11. PROFESSOR BUNCE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is comically short but I wrote it so it goes in the story! No takebacks.

As they leave my office, I smile. If four hours in a room doesn’t fix them, nothing will. But there’s a cauldron full of Amortentia in the dungeon, and an undeniable fiery tension between them, so I think it will work out. For a second I question whether what I am doing is underhanded or immoral, but I brush the thought aside. I need them to get along so Slytherin can win the Quidditch Tournament, that’s all. And if in the meantime those boys can surrender their ridiculous roles in this pointless charade, then that's all the better.


	12. SIMON

I stare up at the list of instructions on the board, written in Ms Bunce’s unruly script.

  1. Sort and divide ingredients for Hiccoughing Potion
  2. Dice 30 bat spleens
  3. Remove Asphodel leaves from stems
  4. Make base for Muffling Draught
  5. AT THE END, remove lid from smallest cauldron and stir Amortentia Potion for 3 minutes clockwise and 1 minute counter-clockwise. One person will need to maintain the magical fire below the Potion. This part of the process is very delicate. 

“I’ll take one to two and you do three to four?” I venture, not looking at Baz. I hear him sneer in agreement (a vocalization only Baz is capable of) and the next two hours elapse in silence. 

When we’re both finished I sit down by the caldron and pull my legs up to my chest. I’m worried I might mess up the Potion, this class has never been my strong suit. I know enough about Amortentia to realize that stirring is better suited to my skills than managing the charms needed to keep the fire in a burning, purple state. I also know that Amortentia is a love potion, of sorts, and that it smells different to each person based on what they like. I imagine it will smell like scones and the Slytherin Common Room and Penny’s favourite sweets. 

Baz sits across from me and pokes his wand into the embers.

“Okay Snow start stirring.” 

I do, but the potion doesn’t seem to be emitting a smell. I am almost choking on the scent of (what Penny describes as) cedar and bergamot though. Baz must have bathed in cologne today. When I’m finished the stirring I stand up to get away from Baz and his pungent Baz-ness. He stands up too, shaking his head. He made the charm for the fire look effortless, even though it’s super advanced. It’s infuriating. 

“When does it start, like, smelling like stuff?” I ask, to break the frustrating silence. Baz shrugs. 

“I don’t know Snow, the smell wafts upwards anyways so I couldn’t tell you.” He says it like I’m a moron. It bugs me more than I would like to admit that Baz thinks I’m stupid. The smell of him still stings my nostrils.

“How much cologne did you put on this morning? Did you immerse yourself in it?” I risk a glance at him, which is hard for some reason. He’s looking at me with one eyebrow up, like nothing I’m saying makes sense. 

“I’m not wearing any, Snow. It's 9 o’clock at night and I’m stuck in a dungeon with you. Why would I be wearing cologne?” 

I close my eyes in concentration. Suddenly my head is pounding. I can’t exactly tell why, but there’s thoughts tickling the edges of my mind, and I try to grasp at them to put everything together. 


	13. BAZ/SIMON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter functions as my Chapter 61.  
It's basically a carbon copy because I love that situation so much. 
> 
> Baz's POV is in bold because it switches a lot.

**Snow knits his brow as if putting two and two together. It looks hard for him (I imagine it is). **

\---

I inhale the smell of Baz’s cologne. That smell usually makes my mind foggy. It sends everything into a spiraling, angry, headache inducing haze. Usually. 

Today, it smells like clarity. 

\---

**Snow seems to be doing an emotional jigsaw in his head. He glances down at the cauldron, then back at me. Suddenly his head jerks up. He must have found the final piece… Now if only I knew what the picture was. **

\--

I don't really know what I'm doing. I take a single step forward (that's all it takes to reach Baz) and I grab him with both hands on either side of his collar. I don't know what I’m doing, I have no plan. 

And yet, there's a part of my brain, a part of me, that knows exactly what to do. It's like a box has been opened in my mind: an entire compendium of plans I had no idea I was making. I realize I’ve always had a plan. 

I know exactly what I'm doing. 

\--

**Snow might kill me. If he did, I wouldn't mind, cause right now he's so damn close. Crowley, what a wonderful way to die. **

\--

I can't wait any longer. I just realized I've been waiting for 7 years. 

\-- 

**I still haven't moved. Neither has Snow. Our faces are close but his eyes are a million miles away. If I kissed him right now, would it bring him back to here? I'm still contemplating it when he makes my decision for me. **

\--

I kiss Baz, because I can't  _ not _ kiss Baz. 

\--

**He kisses me, and it's weird, because when I imagined our first kiss it was never like this. It was always me kissing him, in my imagination, and he was always pulling away. He would pull away and I would say something like "I just needed to know." And then I would die, right there. But here and now he isn't pulling away, so it's weird. Simon Snow is pressing into me. **

\-- 

I push forward. There needs to be force behind this. Everything I do around Baz is about not being around Baz. Our relationship is distance and separation and space. He needs to know that I'm bridging that gap. 

\--

**I bring my hands up to run through his goddamn curls, holding him by the back of his head because I realize _no one but a bloody idiot would be doing anything more than kissing Simon Snow back right now. _**

\-- 

Baz has his hands in my hair, which feels nice. I have my hands on his jaw, which also feels nice. That's about how much I can process at the moment. It turns out my mental plans end around here, so it seems I'll have to improvise. For me, improvise usually just means attack, so I do. 

\--

**I feel Simon grin against my mouth. I worry this is all some sort of prank, as he leans back slightly, but then he's taking a breath, and grabbing my neck, and kissing me again. And its tongue and teeth and intensity, so I stop worrying. **

**I stop thinking at all. **

\--

I'm just beginning to wrap my arms around Baz's neck and move him towards the wall when his foot catches on the edge of the table and we go down, along with the cauldron of Amortentia. I roll away in time but Baz gets drenched. It makes me laugh. 

"What's so funny Simon?" 

"You smell like super-Baz."

He shakes his robes out and dries them with a spell, but the scent of, well, Baz, still clings to him. I laugh again, because all this happiness bubbling up inside me needs an escape. 

\--

**Simon must think this is some kind of joke. **

**As I tip up the caldron and stand, he reaches for my hand. I swat him away. It's just instinct. A part of my brain that's shutting this operation down because _this cannot be happening. Something must be wrong. _**

**Snow arches an eyebrow defiantly and wraps his arms around his chest self-consciously. It’s a confusing set of emotions he’s displaying and I can’t read it. **

**I spell the teartracks of remaining potion back into the cauldron, but it’s a good 10cm below the level it was before. Shit. We'll have to explain that somehow. **

**Snow is still staring at me, so I placate him with a glance. **

**"WHAT, Snow?"**

**"Don't you dare 'what Snow' me after what just happened! Besides, you called me Simon before."**

**"Nothing happened Snow!" I say, as much to myself as to him. His face twists in anger and he steps away from me, like he can’t wait to get more space between us. I scowl and turn away, running out of the dungeon and down the corridor before I can hear what he says next. **

\--

"Something happened."


	14. BAZ

I usually drive people away. If it's not my family of purebloods, or my intimidating performance in classes, it's my general dislikeability. But as I continue storming out of the dungeons, my fingernails cutting into my palms, I notice students stopping to stare at me, even following me. 

I make it to the Slytherin common room just after Snow. I was slowed down because I used a couple secret passageways to avoid people. Instantly he’s on me, up in my face, taking advantage of the fact that we apparently now touch each other. He has a hand on my chest, but I push him away before he can push me. There’s shadows on his face and darkness in his eyes. I can’t stand to look at him. 

I don’t have to for long because Wilhelmina and Cadmus stand up from their places on the couch and come towards me, elbowing Simon out of the way. 

“Hi Baz,” Wilhelmina practically purrs. She lays a hand on my wrist which I quickly snatch away. Cadmus (not so gently) uses his shoulder to push her backwards. Once she takes a couple steps back she shakes her head like coming out of a daydream. She tilts her head at me in confusion and quickly darts up to her dormitory.

Cadmus ignores her. He’s smiling funny, all blushes and fluttering eyelashes and biting lips. There’s a million things racing through my mind, and I can’t quite focus on what he’s saying, but it’s something in a low silky voice that is accompanied by a finger tracing up my arm. 

“Wait, Cadmus, are you flirting with me?”

“Yeah, genius.”

Now I’m really confused. 

\---

Oh hell no. 

\---

Simon grabs my arm (again. It appears that today is the day when everyone disregards the normal rules of personal space) and bodily hauls me up the stairs to our dormitory. I wish my mind didn’t pick up the way his hand wraps all the way around my wrist, his thumb pushing into my pulse point. His arms are very toned. When we get to our dormitory Snow pulls his wand from his robes and slams the door, locking it behind us. He whirls around, eyes narrowed. 

“What the _actual fuck_, Snow?” I yell. 

“Cadmus doesn’t even like you!” He storms, his anger appearing in the flush of his cheeks and sparks from his wand. I feel a similar blush crawling up the back of my neck. 

“Evidence suggests otherwise.” I sneer back. He growls in derision.

“He was only attracted to you because you smell like Amortentia!”

“Seems like that might be the pattern tonight.”

“What do you mean, Baz?”

“In the dungeons Snow. The whole place must have reeked of it to you.”

“You think that’s why…?” He’s even angrier now, and I can’t fathom why. It’s like he’s the one who’s been betrayed and not me, even though I’m the one who’s crush just kissed him under the influence of a stupid love potion. His face is blotchy, and even that looks cute. His hair is still rumpled from where I… I push the thoughts aside. It won’t help to dwell on it. 

Suddenly there’s magic rushing through the window and wrapping around Simons arm. He whips his wand up around his head and casts Aguamenti, blasting me with water mixed with magic. 

I fall backwards from the force of the power washing, and as water trickles from my arms I catch the faint smell of old books and Simon’s shampoo before he vanishes the water in another burst of magic. It’s some of the most powerful non-verbal spells I have ever seen him cast and it’s mesmerizing to watch. 


	15. SIMON

I lean over him, hands planted on either side of his (stupid, yet gorgeous) head. 

“It wasn’t because of the Amortentia.” I say. 

“You seem to have taken that out of the picture,” Baz replies, and I think only I could pick up on the slight hitch in his voice.

“I didn’t think I would have to prove it.” 

“You’ve built up a little bit of a reputation for hating me, Snow.”   
“So have you.”

“Well I only hated you because…”

“Because why, Baz?”

“Why did you kiss me?”

“You need to answer me first.” I demand, but he shifts upwards as if to get away, and I cannot imagine letting him leave. 

“Because I wanted to kiss you! I guess I have for a while.”

“You  _ guess _ ?” 

“I don’t really have a firm grasp on the situation.”

“Neither do I.”

“Well I’m telling you I wanted- want, to kiss you, idiot.” 

This might be the fastest that thoughts and words have come together for me. Usually I need to stumble through a jumble of stutters and half-thoughts before I can form anything coherent. It’s like Baz makes everything easier, even though before I thought he was the one making it difficult. 

“You want to kiss me?”

“Yeah.” I say, because I think I have made that abundantly clear. I tip my head down even more, bringing our faces dangerously close. Baz is, for once in his life, speechless. It takes him a few deep breaths to form words. 

“Prove it.” 

I only catch a glimpse of his dark grey eyes, pupils blown and mysteriously focused before I’m too close to see anything but skin.


	16. BAZ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favourite chapter. Maybe. Okay I like them all.

Simon’s a good kisser. I don’t have anything to compare him too except for, well, him twenty minutes earlier, but he’s already improved. Maybe it's because he’s on top of me, head tilted down so our lips meet and nothing else, always slowly turning his chin, keeping me moving. All too soon he’s pulling away, back up, staring straight down into my face. His freckles have almost disappeared in the flush of his cheeks, but his moles are more prominent, and his whole face seems to be glowing. 

“Did you want to kiss me?” He asks, and it takes a while for me to process what he said because I’m too busy watching his blue eyes darken like the ocean right before a storm (wow that was cheesy. I only ever saw Simon’s eyes as blue and nothing more before, how had they suddenly gained so much depth?). I furrow my brow. Apparently me absolutely melting under his lips twice already wasn’t evidence enough. 

“Yes.”

“Prove it.”

Now it’s my turn to flush. Is this how he felt when I said that? How are we both still alive?

I clasp my arms around his neck, pulling myself up to a sitting position. I wait for him to do the thing where he leans in. When he closes his eyes and tilts his head and my world starts imploding. But instead he stays put, smirking. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smirk like that. As though he has a million plans and they all involve a dangerous mischief. 

“Not like that Baz.  _ You _ have to kiss _ me _ .”

“Are you kidding me Snow?” I still have my arms around him, it could not be clearer I desperately want him. He’s toying with me, and it scares me how fun it is. 

“Oh no Baz, I would never tease you.”

“Well maybe I won’t kiss you then.”

“Ehh you will. You can’t help it.” His smirk widens.

“How do you know that, Snow?”

“I can see it in your eyes.” He brings his hand to my face, poking at my eyelashes and the bridge of my nose. It’s juvenile and adorable. Also he’s right. I do want to kiss him, so I roll my eyes and relent. I lean in this time, pulling Simon by his neck towards me. 

Ten minutes later a sharp knock at the door pulls us apart. I immediately turn away, but Simon is still staring into my face. His lips are pinker than usual.  _ I did that.  _ I think, with a near sadistic amount of pleasure. I get up, wiping my face and shaking my hands, pulling my wand from my pocket to unlock the door. 

Haider walks in, shooting me a questioning look. 

“Sorry, accident.” I say in lieu of a true explanation. Haider shrugs, and is quickly followed by the rest of the boys from our year entering the dormitory. 

The rest of the night goes weirdly, because we get ready to go to bed like normal, but Simon keeps looking at me. We brush our teeth together (which never happens) and our fingers brush on the counter. He winks at me behind Yavins back, and smiles at me before pulling his bed curtains closed.

It’s thoroughly disconcerting and quite enjoyable. 

The next morning when I wake up Simon is already gone. I get dressed hastily and head down to the Great Hall. Simon is there, at the end of the Slytherin table, leaning over and talking to Penny. She’s grinning like she does when she answers a question first in class. I stand uncertainty in the doorway, unsure of whether I should sit in my usual spot. Simon hasn’t seen me yet, but as he turns back to shovel more breakfast in his mouth Penny sees me over his shoulder. Her eyes widen and she jerks her head towards the spot next to Simon. I shake my head in return, but the set of her jaw tells me I’d better get over there before she comes to collect me herself. 

As I walk towards the front of the Hall, a few students turn to look at me in confusion, but most of them just look wary. A few groan. I assume they expect a fight to break out, because those are the roles we’ve played for 7 years. 

I sit down beside Simon and he greets me with a shy smile. Behind us, Penny crosses her arms and smirks. 

“What is it, Bunce?”

“Oh come off it Baz, now that I know you don’t hate Simon I don’t have to hate you either!”

“Who said I don’t hate him?” I counter, but the remark is dulled a bit by the fact that I (seemingly involuntarily) have taken a hold of Simon's hand under the table. Penny rolls her eyes. 

“Your lips did.” Simon says, and I push a muffin into his face to make him shut up. His collarbone is pink. I don’t think I’m so pale myself. 

“Well anyways. I can now, without fear of Simon-judgement, tell you I admire your spellwork. Also your charms! Oh and you were damn close to beating me in Potions last year which is commendable.” Penny continues.

“Well I can’t hold a candle to your healing, and you ran circles around me in Transfiguration. If I teach you how to perfect your Cheering Charm could you show me how you did that thing with the buttons and mice?” 

“Only if you promise to debate with me about merewolf rights.”

“Oh, I knew it was you who made your mom give us that essay.”

“It’s not like you didn’t write an extra 6 inches than was necessary!”

“Uh, guys, I’m still here.” Simon interjects, waving a hand covered in crumbs in front of my face. I swat it away, but catch his wrist in my other palm as I wipe the crumbs from his fingers. 

Penny smirks. 

“Aw, you two are cute.”

“There isn’t an ‘us two’” I counter. 

“Isn’t there, Pitch?” Simon swings one leg over the bench so he’s facing me in full. I still have his wrist in my hand. 

“Don’t call me that.”

“What?”

“Pitch. You always call me Baz.”

“Well then you have to call me Simon again.”

“I never did!” 

“Pitch.”

“Snow.”

“ _ Baz.” _

I take a deep breath. I can feel eyes on me. Teachers, students, Agatha, and of course Penny (who gives me a thumbs up). I’m tired. Tired of playing the antagonist in a story I never wanted to be a part of. So I break character. 

“Simon.”

He grins. It breaks across his face like a wave, pushing dimples into his cheeks and sparkles into his eyes. Simon leans forward slightly but pauses, searching in my face for permission to come closer. I roll my eyes and pull his hand up to my chest. 

“Carry on, Simon.”


	17. PENNY

Simon kisses Baz in front of the entire Hall. It’s short, but you can tell neither of them want to pull away. Their eyes never leave each others even as confused murmurs echo throughout the room. A glass smashes, and I look over to see Agatha storming away from the Gryffindor table, shards of glass falling in her wake as she releases the broken pieces of a cup in her fingers. But Simon and Baz don’t care. Simon has a hand stroking through Baz’s hair, and Baz is holding on to Simons hand like it’s the only thing keeping him tethered to reality. 

They’re orbiting together again, but this time in the same direction.

It’s two stars who’ve crashed together, and finally formed a sun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END  
(yes I am aware that is not how stars work it sounded cute okay)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you thought!


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